Scorpion didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. No one dared to look away from him. “No wonder your daughter thought it was okay to whore it out in a cemetery.” It wasn’t surprising he knew, even though Cactus and Huck had taken care of it.
Angelica’s hand came out, slapping Scorpion in the face. “You’re right, I’m whoring it out, sitting at a bar fully clothed. You’ve slept with at least four club bunnies this week.”
His face went pale, highlighting the red mark on his cheek. “You’re the only one I’d ever let hit me. Don’t do it again.” He leaned forward, taking up her personal space.
She didn’t bow down to him. Their lips were a breath apart. “They like to wait for me in the back parking lot to gloat. I’m done playing these games with you.” Anyone watching this shitshow knew she wasn’t in control.
“I shouldn’t be getting a phone call saying you’re in the bathroom fucking the bartender when you’ve always been mine.”
Angelica shook her head. The bouncer had called Scorpion, lying about what she’d been up to. We’d checked on her repeatedly, and even if we didn’t have rules in place, she’d never left that barstool. This was a ruse. She turned her back on him, but Angelica didn’t get very far. Scorpion locked her arm in a tight grip.
“Stay here.” He let her go, took two strides to the front of the bar and sucker-punched the bartender. I had to give the man credit. He held onto the bar, refusing to hit the ground. It didn’t help him.
Still, no one interfered. The man threw a few weak punches, but when they didn’t land, he went on the defensive. It was only slightly better. Scorpion delivered blow after blow, each one more vicious than the last, until the man’s face was nothing more than a bloody pulp.
“Please,” the man begged. “Fuck! Have a little mercy. I have kids.”
Angelica flinched. I tried to join the fight, but Cactus held onto me. Lulu shifted in my direction, but she was too far from the scene to do anything, even if there had been something to do.
The bouncers moved through the crowd, finally coming to the bartender’s aid. They’d been standing on the fringes, watching like everyone else. It would take more than a few of them to control Scorpion. He wasn’t some drunk asshole. He was the president of the local one-percent motorcycle club. They would escort him out without warning until the next time this happened.
“Don’t leave,” Cactus told me. He moved with the rest of the club, each biker blocking a bouncer.
I caught Lulu’s eye, nodding towards the front of the barn. It was time to go before they even realized we were gone. She nodded, making her way slowly towards me. We didn’t need any bikers to suddenly understand we were leaving. They would just put guards on us, thwarting our escape.
Lulu and I made it to Angelica, and she let us guide her out of the place. None of us said a word as we got in the car. A fun girl’s night had turned into a brawl, and we were so used to the violence, we didn’t run.
We were almost to the motel when Angelica swiped at a tear. “Maybe I should see how much the saloon is worth and sell it.”
“Where would you go, sweets?” Lulu whispered. She had known Angelica longer, but I thought Ang was too good at running the place. I couldn’t see her ever giving it up.
“Anywhere but here.”
“Now, you’re talking nonsense.” Lulu’s voice broke into what seemed like a million pieces. “If you sell and take Bri, they’ll win, and you’ll always feel you’re on the run.”
I felt that. “It might be worse on the other side, but at least it’s different. The only good thing? It wouldn’t be this place.”
Angelica turned in her seat. “You know from experience?”
“I’ve always picked the worst choice for me, but I’ve learned one thing since being here. You don’t have to keep bleeding over old shit. Close it. Don’t pick the scar. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in the same loop forever. Too bad we couldn’t drown him in the pond.”
“What about my brother? Is he a wound you’re going to let scar before you leave?” A look passed between us. Her eyes were soft, as if she knew what I was already going to say, and a quiet agreement passed in the silence. She’d step aside, and once I was gone, pick up his pieces.
I didn’t have the heart to tell her she was one reason I wouldn’t stay for Cactus. “No. He’s too busy taking care of everyone else first to remember how to relax. I won’t force more on him.”
We knew better, but we’d formed a friendship tied together with hope. Sometimes, hope’s cruelest trick was pretending escape was real.
As I opened my motel door later, I looked over my shoulder. Hoping I’d hear a motorcycle turning into the parking lot. It was funny how I kept waiting for a sign to prove me right when I’d already walked away.
***
Cactus
Scorpion strutted towards his bike. “I’m going to the cage fight, if anyone wants to come with.” I wouldn’t care if the fucking thing blew up with him on it. He’d gotten his way in the bar, and now he was going to find a fight, like he hadn’t had enough.
I said nothing, afraid something truthful would slip I wouldn’t be able to take back. The last thing I wanted was all hell to break loose. If it did, I’d deal, but his attitude was getting old. I had one place I needed to be before she got any more wrong ideas.
She hadn’t followed my instructions, dismissing them carelessly. I should have been angry. Fuck, I was furious. Underneath, there was something worse. For once in my adult life, I was afraid, and I hated the way it twisted through my heart.
